Japanese civic leader opposes politicians' Yasukuni Shrine offerings

A Japanese civic leader on Saturday voiced strong opposition to Japanese politicians' visits or offerings to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors convicted Class-A war criminals from World War II, calling on Japan to uphold the spirit of the Murayama Statement and reflect on its history of wartime aggression.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minoru Kiuchi, House of Representatives Speaker Eisuke Mori and House of Councillors President Masakazu Sekiguchi were among those sending ritual offerings to the shrine.

Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, told China Media Group that the shrine's view of Japan's wartime aggression as a "just war" distorted modern Japanese history and ran counter to the spirit of Japan's pacifist constitution. He described politicians' visits to the shrine as fundamentally wrong.

The Murayama Statement, issued by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama on August 15, 1995, acknowledged that Japan's colonial rule and aggression had caused tremendous damage and suffering to many countries, particularly in Asia, and expressed "deep remorse" and "heartfelt apology."

Fujita said visits to Yasukuni contradicted the statement's core message that Japan's war was an act of aggression that inflicted grave suffering on China and other Asian countries and must never be repeated.

He also criticized Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party for not adequately teaching younger generations about the country's history of aggression, calling for a change in the country's political direction to ensure that the truth about the war is taught more actively.

(Cover: a screenshot from a China Media Group interview. /VCG)